Maybe like a lot of people, I find the choices for the next president of the USA disappointing. Even if I had bothered to ask for an absentee ballot--I'm registered at home in a very blue state and so I didn't think it mattered much--I don't know if I could vote for either of them.
Showing posts with label Peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peace. Show all posts
October 31, 2016
July 11, 2013
Abortion Ramble
Back when I was at the parish, one night I was locking up the church and a lady stopped me to say something.
"You're a good priest, Father, but you're not pro-life enough."
"You're a good priest, Father, but you're not pro-life enough."
May 13, 2009
Prayer to Our Lady of Fátima
Blessed Lady, you have blessed us in your apparition to the children at Fátima.
As you willed to appear in a place bearing the name of the beloved daughter of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, obtain for all the children of Abraham the grace of living in tolerance and peace.
As you willed to appear in a place bearing the name of the beloved daughter of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, obtain for all the children of Abraham the grace of living in tolerance and peace.
January 31, 2008
The Wisdom Of This World
This afternoon I've been playing with Matthew's beatitudes, seeking a strategy for preaching this coming weekend. Just for fun, though maybe I'll be brave enough to use it, I re-wrote them according to the unwisdom that we are encouraged to buy from the world that doesn't know God:
“Blessed are those with financial and national security,
for theirs is the kingdom of this world.
“Blessed are those with financial and national security,
for theirs is the kingdom of this world.
Blessed are they who feel good,
for they will be comfortable.
Blessed are the strong,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for success,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are right,
for they will be shown respect.
Blessed are the smart,
for they will see how to get what they want.
Blessed are the Halliburtons and oil men,
for they will get rich from wars.
Blessed are they who can convince others of their righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of this world.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you.
Rejoice and be glad,
for they are only jealous of how well you’ve done for yourself.”
February 13, 2007
2084
The news frightened me yesterday. On and on with the killing in Iraq, and now you have to wonder if a conflict with Iran is coming. Not to speak of a new "spring offensive" in Afghanistan. I just wonder if we are heading to a world of permanent warfare, like the Oceania-Eastasia-Eurasia war in 1984.
Everyone says that they want peace, but their problem is they don't know what peace is. To the world, peace is just the absence of annoyance and conflict. It is the absence of anything which would interfere with their own selfish projects and plans for exploitation of others.
Real peace isn't just the absence of conflict. It is an active, provocative force. It "turns the other cheek," putting the power of peace and non-violence in the face of those whose misery and self-hate explodes into the all the violence of the world.
As long as we live in fear, there can be no peace. But the answer to fear is not war, is not the "Cheney doctrine" of destroying threats before they can arise. Perhaps Yoda put it best: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
Everyone says that they want peace, but their problem is they don't know what peace is. To the world, peace is just the absence of annoyance and conflict. It is the absence of anything which would interfere with their own selfish projects and plans for exploitation of others.
Real peace isn't just the absence of conflict. It is an active, provocative force. It "turns the other cheek," putting the power of peace and non-violence in the face of those whose misery and self-hate explodes into the all the violence of the world.
As long as we live in fear, there can be no peace. But the answer to fear is not war, is not the "Cheney doctrine" of destroying threats before they can arise. Perhaps Yoda put it best: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
February 8, 2007
St. Josephine
Today is the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947), a Sudanese who spent much of her life suffering in brutal slavery, and later became famous for her gentleness as portress with the Canossian Sisters.
Her feast day reminds us of the need to pray and seek justice and peace for the people of Sudan, and to do penance for the violence of the slavery and human trafficking still inflicted on many people, especially women and children.
December 5, 2006
Peace
One line form the psalm for today really caught me: in the reign of the King who is to come we will enjoy "profound peace."
A lot of people talk about peace. "Peace" is the goal of the military maladventures of these United States. But mostly, when the world talks about peace and its desire for peace, they don't have the faintest idea what they are talking about.
The peace that the world wants is just freedom from annoyance. It's the absence of anyone getting in the way of their plans for security and power, their efforts at exploiting the earth and everyone else for their own comfort and gratification.
Real peace isn't the absence of anyone getting in the way of fulfilling your unreasonable desires, but is the courage to let go of them. Real peace starts with treating others as if they were human beings like yourself, or better, as human beings better than yourself.
The "profound peace" that the psalmist looks forward to is the power of love to break down all the ways that we insist on misery, both for ourselves and those around us.
A lot of people talk about peace. "Peace" is the goal of the military maladventures of these United States. But mostly, when the world talks about peace and its desire for peace, they don't have the faintest idea what they are talking about.
The peace that the world wants is just freedom from annoyance. It's the absence of anyone getting in the way of their plans for security and power, their efforts at exploiting the earth and everyone else for their own comfort and gratification.
Real peace isn't the absence of anyone getting in the way of fulfilling your unreasonable desires, but is the courage to let go of them. Real peace starts with treating others as if they were human beings like yourself, or better, as human beings better than yourself.
The "profound peace" that the psalmist looks forward to is the power of love to break down all the ways that we insist on misery, both for ourselves and those around us.
May 30, 2006
Dams and Delight
With the arrival of the warm weather I was thinking about some of the funny things we did as kids. One of our favorites was a game called "Dams." First we would run the garden hose up to the top of the overgrown area of our backyard. Then, as the water began to roll down the hill, we would carve canals in the soil to direct it. Finally, we would try to construct great dams and waterways out of mud and sticks and whatever else was around.
There was a great delight in what we created. A genuine act of creation is always a moment of delight. It is our participation in God's creative act, the over-flowing of goodness by which creation itself comes to be through God's Word. The Trinity is the original community of mutual delight. When the Trinity expresses Its Delight, we get the creation all around us.
When we create our heart touches the primordial delight of the divine life. This is why our acts of creation are always moments of delight. The creative process of the artist. The mutual delight of sex. Children making things out of mud. These are all ways in which we imitate God the Creator and participate in the creating power of divine Delight.
This is also the insight of Dante when he says that art is the grandchild of God.
There was a great delight in what we created. A genuine act of creation is always a moment of delight. It is our participation in God's creative act, the over-flowing of goodness by which creation itself comes to be through God's Word. The Trinity is the original community of mutual delight. When the Trinity expresses Its Delight, we get the creation all around us.
When we create our heart touches the primordial delight of the divine life. This is why our acts of creation are always moments of delight. The creative process of the artist. The mutual delight of sex. Children making things out of mud. These are all ways in which we imitate God the Creator and participate in the creating power of divine Delight.
This is also the insight of Dante when he says that art is the grandchild of God.
May 11, 2006
Labels and Violence
Our friend Don has a fine post this morning, as part of his on-going reflections on peace and non-violence:
"There is so much focus on the distinction between nonviolence and violence, between nonviolent people and violent people. But in reality it's not that easy to take sides like that. One can never be sure that one is completely on the side of nonviolence or that the other person is completely on the side of violence. Nonviolence is a direction, not a separating line. It has no boundaries.--Thich Nhat Hanh.
"This quote comes from one of my favorite authors and it expresses a truth that is too often not appreciated. We/they, us/them arguments are false arguments that leave us as adversaries. Peacemaking requires not only the acceptance of the enemy as he/she is. It requires us first to accept that we are flawed, that no one is completely violent or nonviolent. Living this way helps us accept ourselves and others as we are with all our imperfection. Peace."
I appreciate Don's reflection because it points out that even the distinctions we make in our effort to promote peace can become forms of violence. We must exercise great care in the categories and labels we apply to each other!
"There is so much focus on the distinction between nonviolence and violence, between nonviolent people and violent people. But in reality it's not that easy to take sides like that. One can never be sure that one is completely on the side of nonviolence or that the other person is completely on the side of violence. Nonviolence is a direction, not a separating line. It has no boundaries.--Thich Nhat Hanh.
"This quote comes from one of my favorite authors and it expresses a truth that is too often not appreciated. We/they, us/them arguments are false arguments that leave us as adversaries. Peacemaking requires not only the acceptance of the enemy as he/she is. It requires us first to accept that we are flawed, that no one is completely violent or nonviolent. Living this way helps us accept ourselves and others as we are with all our imperfection. Peace."
I appreciate Don's reflection because it points out that even the distinctions we make in our effort to promote peace can become forms of violence. We must exercise great care in the categories and labels we apply to each other!
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